I was born in Sarnau, near Bala in north Wales but have lived in Cardiff for years with a period in Zimbabwe as an artist in residence at the National Gallery in 1991 and 1994. I am now settled in Cefneithin in the Gwendraeth Valley. I am known as an artist, writer and lecturer. I started on a very different path at Aberystwyth University where I enrolled on a geography degree course, but soon returned to my first love of art, and completed an MA in Fine Art at Cardiff College of Art in 1993. Since 1990, I’ve had solo exhibitions and have participated in numerous group exhibitions in Wales and abroad, and my work is featured in many public and private collections. My work was shown in four cities in China in 2009. I have published books and essays on contemporary art in Wales, lectured frequently on the subject, presented art programs for S4C and have had media interviews. My work is discussed in numerous publications on contemporary art in Wales.

I am mainly interested in exploring cultural identity - the definition of 'belonging' to a particular place - while also remaining a citizen of the wider world. My personal identity, roots and background are significant in my work. I see the work as a form of mapping my feelings and my identity and culture. I have been influenced by many artists over the years; Augustus John, David Jones, Chagall, Tapies, but mainly have a strong attraction to the work of lesser-known Latin American and African artists.

I would describe my work as drawings rather than a collection of paintings, even when I use paint to make marks. My work uses symbols to show contrasting elements in life. Essentially, my work is about duality. I usually let the marks on the paper guide me and develop the theme as the picture is developing. Hand and eye work, by chance, works in tandem with the ideas in my head. I never prepare sketches beforehand. Everything in the picture is happening at that moment. For me, this keeps the picture alive.

In the past I used oil on canvas, but for a decade now I have focused on mixed media on Khadi 'cotton duck' paper from India. This is very thick handmade paper made from scraps of the cotton industry in India rather than wood. I sometimes use charcoal, pastel, ink and less professional things such as Roobios teabag stains and sometimes tippex! I like to convey the idea that the work is ancient, like documents from the past.

It takes time for an artist to find a personal 'language'. While at art college I was studying sculpture, which was influenced by the work of the Minimalists, but it was difficult to work in a bedroom in a house I shared with others so I started drawing. My main subject at the time was Welsh mythology. As my awareness of politics expanded, the work also began to be more political. I managed to get a studio in an old empty building in Cardiff and the work developed further. I won the Eisteddfod Gold Medal in 1997 with large pieces. Of course, it was impossible to make a living with big pictures like this, so now, things are relatively smaller.